Man sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm

During the March 6 session of Ozark County Law Day, Herbert Palmer, 66, of West Plains, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and was sentenced to the Missouri Department of Corrections for 7 years. 

He will be given credit for time served, which is 246 days in the county jail, according to a signed affidavit by the Ozark County Sheriff.

According to the probable cause statement prepared by Ozark County Deputy Jeffrey Lane, at 6:52 p.m. April 28, 2022, the officer pulled over a silver Pontiac Grand Prix for having no front or rear license plates.

The vehicle’s occupants provided names to the officer, and he ran the identifications through his law enforcement software. Palmer, a passenger in the vehicle, had an active warrant for his arrest from a case in Howell County.

“Mr. Palmer was advised of his warrant and an open-air search of the vehicle was conducted by the Howell County K9 unit to which the K9 gave two positive indicators of contraband in the vehicle. Both the driver and Mr. Palmer was removed from the vehicle, and a search of the interior of the vehicle was conducted resulting in a 9mm Hi-point pistol being located under the passenger seat of the vehicle where Mr. Palmer had been sitting and a loaded magazine was located within arm’s reach of Mr. Palmer in the center console of the vehicle,” the probable cause statement says. 

Palmer reportedly told the officer that the weapon was his. A gun serial number search was made, and the weapon came back not on file. 

Lane ran a criminal history report on Palmer, which showed he was a convicted felon and not legally able to possess a firearm. 

Palmer was transported to the Howell County Sheriff’s Office where he was booked in their jail and processed for the open warrants there. During the booking process, a bag containing marijuana and a plastic bag with a white crystal-like substance was found on Palmer. The white substances tested positive for methamphetamine.

He was charged as a prior and persistent offender, meaning he faced stricter punishment, due to his past criminal convictions.